Needle for plating knit fabric



Dec. 26, 1939.l H. N. sHEPPARD NEEDLE FOR PLATING KNIT FABRIC Filed June 5, 1937 7&7 A 767 7&7

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wssifsi'l ""'Jrnzi- 4 2 f Al INVENTOR HARRY N. SHEPPARD BY HIS ATTORNEYS 25 sitioned as in amachine; into the inner face 5 of the portion I of the 25 Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE NEEDLE FOR PLATING -KNIT FABRIC Harry N. Sheppard, Maplewood, N. J., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 5, 1937, Serial No. 146,680

3 Claims. (C1. 66-121) This invention relates to circular knitting matype disclosed difficulty has been encountered in chines and more particularly to circular knitting insuring that the wrap or embroidery yarns w, machines arranged to knit a.`wrap or embroidery which are fed to the selected needles n1 by the yarn on selected ones of needles knitting a fabric wrap yarn finger 161, would maintain a position 5 of a single yarn or of a plurality of yarns in. on the selected needles when the body and facing 5 plating relation to form an embroiderypattern yarns b and f, respectively, are fed to the selected plated on the face of the fabric, and it is an obneedles by the yarn fingers F1 and F4, IGSDGC- ject of this invention to provide an improved tively, such that the wrap yarns would-.be found method of plating to insure .the desired yarn beon the face of the fabric'when the loops on thek ing on the outside of the fabric and it is a. furselected needles were cast oil' and knit as the l0 ther object of this invention to provide a needle wrap yarn w and the facing yarn j tended to be of improved construction for carrying out the imtransposed as to position and to bring the facing proved method of plating. yarn to the face of the fabric at the pattern in Inthe drawing in which only suchparts of a place 0f the Wrapping yarn. Thisv displacing 0f circular knitting machine are shown as are. necesthe Wrapping yarn also occurred whengthe body l5 sary to illustrate an application of the invention;v ofthe fabric was knit of a single body yarn.

Fig. 1 `is a view in elevation of a-porton of a In order to insure the wrap yarn w being proplatch guardring at the throat plate-of a Scott erly positioned the needles are provided with and Williams circular knitting machine equipped hooks shaped preferably as in Figs. 3, 4V and 5.,

V for knitting wrap-,or embroidery strips upon a andwhich extend outwardly andupwardly at a gg t plated fabric, the view being developed in slight angle, as at I, from the shank 2 towards the plane o f the paper ;v the reversely extending portion forming the point 2 isA atop plan view of the throat plate of 3. There is also provided a notch at the upper the structure'shown in Fig. 1, the parts being poend of the shank 2 the face 4 of which merges Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are views drawn to a larger hook. The notch 4 may, as shown in Fig. 6, meet scale and showing, in elevation, the hook of a the inner face 5 of the top I of the hook at an preferred form of latch needle and its relation to angle, but. in 130th Constructions the nOCh DIO- the various yarns used in knitting the fabric, at vides a place in which the wrap yarn w may three positions in the movement of the needle, 10dge.aS ShOWn in Figs- 4 and 5, While the pla/Ging 30 after taking the yarns; to the position of the 0r facing yarn f. Which engages the needle needle at which the relations of the yarns in the shank 2 below the wrap yarn w as vshown in Fig. 3 knitted loop is definitely determined; brushes or slides over the wrap yarn as the nee- Fig. 6is a view in elevation, drawn to the same dles are drawn down to cast off their loops so scale as Figs. 3 to 5 of the hook of a modified form that the yarns assume the proper positions as 35 of a needle in accordance with this invention, shownin Fig. 5. and In both constructions, it will be noted, the in- Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view ner face 5 of the top I of the hook extends from through the notched portion of the needle illusthe shank 2 at a'small angle t0 the hOIiZOntal S0 trating the manner in which the notch is diethere is'little or no tendency for the Yarn w in formed to provide substantially the same crossthe notch to travel on the face 5 of the hook sectional area and strength at the notch as elseand the face 4 of the notch and face 5 of the wherein the hook portion of the needle. top I of the hook `meet in such a way that there In the drawing the knitting machine to which is insuicient angle between them to cause the the invention is applied is shown as a Scott and facing yarn f, as itl slides over the wrapping yarn, 45 Williams circular knitting machine, such as is to slide into or be held in the notch with 'the shown in the patent to Page and Swinglehurst, wrapping yarn w. The body yarn b, when fed No. 1,906,204, dated April 25, 1933. As shown, ironia yarn nger positioned as shown in Fig. 1, the yarn ngers F1, F2 feed the body and facing engages the needle hook away from the shank 2,

yarns b and f, respectively, in plating relation to las shown in Fig. 3, so there is little or no tend- 50 all the needles n at the throat plate of the latch ency for the body yarn b to be transposed with guard ring 550 while the'wrap yarn fingers 161 respect to either the facing or wrapping yarn. feed the wrap or embroidery yarns w to the se- Where the fabric is knit of but a single body yarn lected needles nl in advance of the throat plate. the yarn is usually fcdfrom the yarn finger F2,

In the operation of knitting machines of the shown in the drawin; as feeding the facing yarn 55 to the needles, and the displacement of the body and wrap yarns has occurred. Where the wrap yarn w is taken by alternate needles of a group to interlace the Wrap yarn with the needles of the group the movement of the wrap yarn into the notches 4 of the needles taking the yarn positions the wrap yarn further towards the back of the needles than formerly and renders the movement of the wrap yarn in back of the remaining needles of the group much easier and less liable to improperly position the wrap yarn with respect to other yarns taken by the Wrapped needles.

In the manufacture of the needle the notch is formed by applying a die under pressure to the needle blank before the hook is bentto shape so the needle is substantially of the same strength and cross-sectional areaI in the region of the notch as a needle without the notch and there is no tendency, either because of the shape of the notch or because of a reduction in the amount of metal at the notch, for the needle to break at the notch. Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawing illustrate the manner in which the notch is dieformed to provide substantially the same crosssectional area and strength at the notch as elsewhere in the hook portion of the needle.

In the claims wherever reference is made to a body yarn, it is intended such term shallalso include the facing yarn where the fabric is knit of a plurality of yarns in plating relation as well as the body yarn where the fabric is knit of Ibut a single yarn.

The method of plating described is not claimed herein as it is claimed in the divisional application Serial No. 206,048, led May 4, 1938.

What is claimed is:

1. A needle having a hook with the inner surface upwardly and outwardly inclined from the needle shank and a notch at the junction of said inner surface and shank to retain one yarn while another yarn is passed over the rst yarn to a position against said inner surface, said needle having substantially the same cross-sectional area and strength at the notch as elsewhere in the hook. .f

2. A latch needle having a yarn retaining notch at the junction of theinner faces of the shank and hook, said notch being arranged to retain a plating yarn to properly position said yarn with the remaining yarn in the knitted loop, said needle having substantially the same cross-sectional area and strength at the notch as elsewhere in the hook.

3. A needle having the inner face of the upper portion of the hook'a at surface inclinedto the axis of the needle shank and a notch at the junction of the inner face and shank to retain one yarn while a second yarn is passed over said first yarn to engage said at surface, the face of said notch merging into said inner face of the upper portion of the hook, said needle having substantially the same cross-sectional area and strength at the notch as elsewhere inthe hook.

HARRY N. SHEPPARD. 

